1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel compositions of matter comprised of water soluble gums, to process for the preparation thereof, and to the utilization of such compositions in the preparation of various hydrosols therefrom. More especially, this invention relates to such compositions comprised of the water soluble natural, modified natural or synthetic gums.
In the description which follows, the following definitions are employed:
(i) Gum: any polymer material that may be dissolved or dispersed in water to yield aqueous solutions or dispersions designated "sols";
(ii) Natural gum: natural polymer gums of animal or vegetable origin;
(iii) Modified natural gums: polymer gums obtained by modification of the chemical structure of natural polymer gums;
(iv) Synthetic gums: polymer gums obtained entirely by chemical synthesis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Certain of the aforesaid gums, by virtue of their viscosity and rheology, are useful in numerous fields of application as varied as construction, painting, paper, textiles, cosmetics, petroleum exploitation, the food industry, water treatment, phytosanitation, etc.
For many applications, it is necessary to convert the gum to the form of an aqueous solution thereof. However, it is a disadvantage of most of the water soluble gums that they are difficult to solubilize. Under the effect of excessively rapid hydration, the particles in contact with water are surrounded with a thin gelatinized film and agglomerate. These agglomerates or floccules, surrounded by partially swollen polymers on the surface thereof, disintegrate and dissolve only with difficulty.
It has been proposed to improve the dispersibility of a synthetic polymer of acrylic copolymer type by surface treating same with solutions of aluminum, chromium, zinc, manganese, barium, tin or zirconium salts in a non-solvent for the polymer, then evaporating the solvent and drying the resultant powder (French Pat. No. 2,310,156).
This prior art process, however, requires a special treatment of the gum to enable the dispersion thereof. Serious need thus exists for improved means to facilitate the dissolution of the gums that are difficult to disperse.